Tipping in the United States is expected across most service settings — 18–20% is the norm at full-service restaurants, $1–2 per drink at bars, and 15–20% for taxis, rideshares, and tour guides.
United States tip calculator
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Tip is calculated on the bill before tax and any service charge.
Tipping rates in United States
| Service | What to tip |
|---|---|
| Bars $1-2 per drink for beer or simple cocktails; 15-20% when you close a tab. For complex craft cocktails, $2-3 per drink is the norm (Traveloka). | $1-2 per drink or 15-20% of the tab |
| Hotels Housekeeping: $2-5 per night, left daily because staff rotate (Emily Post). Porters: $1-2 per bag; valet $2-5 on pickup; concierge $5-10 for real help like tickets or hard-to-get reservations. | $2-5/night housekeeping; $1-2/bag porters |
| Restaurants 18-20% of the pre-tax bill is the norm, with 20% now the default in most cities; Emily Post’s guide puts sit-down service at 15-20% pre-tax. Counter-service spots are optional – $1-2 if you like. | 18–20% |
| Taxis 15-20% of the metered fare, including Uber/Lyft rides tipped in the app (Emily Post; Kiplinger). Add a dollar or two if the driver helps with heavy luggage. | 15-20% |
| Tour Guides 15-20% of the tour price for guided tours; free walking tours are funded entirely by tips – $10-20 per person is fair (Traveloka). | 15-20% |
Need bill splitting and tax math? Use the main tipping calculator.
Example
On an $80 dinner bill in Chicago, a 20% tip is $16 – so you pay $96 before tax. Pro move: calculate the tip on the pre-tax subtotal, not the total.
Get the USA tipping cheat sheet
A free 2-page printable: every rate, the pre-tax rule that saves you money, and the 4 mistakes tourists make.
Why tipping works this way in United States
The U.S. federal tipped minimum wage is $2.13 an hour – unchanged since 1991 – and employers can count customer tips against the $7.25 minimum wage through the FLSA tip credit (U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #15). That means a restaurant tip is not a bonus: for many servers it is the bulk of their pay, which is why skipping it at a sit-down restaurant is considered genuinely poor etiquette, not just a missed courtesy.
Tipping mistakes tourists make in United States
- Calculating the tip on the after-tax total – Emily Post’s guide sets sit-down service at 15-20% pre-tax, so tipping on the total after tax quietly inflates the amount.
- Leaving nothing (or a token 10%) when the service was bad – with the rare exception of egregiously bad service, etiquette experts say to leave at least 15-20% of the pre-tax total and take real complaints to the manager, not out of the server’s wages (Kiplinger, quoting Lizzie Post).
- Leaving the housekeeping tip at checkout instead of nightly – hotel housekeeping staff rotate, so $2-5 per night left daily reaches the people who actually cleaned your room (Emily Post).
- Treating every tip screen as mandatory – the ‘tipflation’ prompts at self-service counters are the modern tip jar, and choosing ‘no tip’ at fast-food counters or kiosks is perfectly acceptable (Traveloka).
Get the USA tipping cheat sheet
A free 2-page printable: every rate, the pre-tax rule that saves you money, and the 4 mistakes tourists make.
United States tipping FAQs
Is it rude not to tip in the US?
Yes – at sit-down restaurants, at least. Servers depend on tips for the bulk of their earnings (the federal tipped minimum wage is only $2.13/hr), so skipping the tip reads as stiffing the worker, not protesting the restaurant.
Is it necessary to tip in the USA?
Legally, no – tips are voluntary. But in practice, yes: 18-20% at restaurants, $1-2 per drink at bars, and 15-20% for taxis, rideshares, and tour guides are the social norm, not the exception.
Is 10% tip ok in the US?
It’s low. The norm is 18–20% of the pre-tax bill (18% is the commonly cited baseline; 20% is the standard for good service), and 10% signals you were dissatisfied. (Bankrate’s 2025 survey found only about a third of Americans typically tip 20% or more at sit-down restaurants.)
Is $20 a good tip for $100?
Yes – that’s exactly 20%, the standard rate for good service at a U.S. restaurant.
Are Americans still tipping?
Yes – and they’re being asked to tip more often than ever. A 2023 Pew Research Center survey found 72% of U.S. adults say tipping is now expected in more places than five years ago, a phenomenon widely called ‘tipflation.’
How much do I tip housekeeping on a $300 per night room?
$5 per night — Emily Post’s guidance is $2–5 per day (so the top end), and Kiplinger calls about $5 a day typical. Leave it daily with a note marked ‘Housekeeping,’ since room staff rotate.
Sources
See all tipping guides for North America
Tipping customs verified September 2026.
